wmw i ft ib WEDNESDAY November 22, 2000 Volume 107 ~ Issue 64 6 pages F (OBJ =f:( :^Wi\ »i ■•k'l M 4 rW I I’J which iti Jer ihe eijj. -ly.whicht: tragedy,i|f[| lo a unity til Florida Supreme Court upholds hand count or the via- that: a da; •lions sir business (; I (AP) — A1 Gore’s ballot-by-ballot fight ■or the White House was given new life Tues day night, when the Florida Supreme Court ■uled that the “will of the people” demanded ■hat manual recounts be added in the state’s ■lection totals. Their work approved, weary flection officials plowed through ballots into [he night. An accurate vote count is one of the es- ential foundations of our democracy,” the even justices said. The unanimous decision came as election orkers in three counties continued their (tounting of 1.5 million ballots, now facing a inks the - 7> Sunday deadl ine to complete their task. nehofJjB “Twenty-five years ago, this court com- on therigf: ■> kill them. '-Texas A he schedit: 1 Texas-Nt ing 63 e Soonets 2(X)1 sek mented that the will of the people, not the hy per-technical reliance upon statutory provi sions, should be our guiding principle in elec tions,” read the court ruling. Bush holds a 930-vote lead in the official, but uncertified vote tallies from Election Day, with overseas absentee ballots included. Gore has slowly been eating into that lead in recent days as recounts have proceeded at his urg ing in three Democratic counties. “1 think we’ll be able to meet the dead line,” said Circuit Judge Charles Burton, head of the Palm Beach elections board. Tele visions in the West Palm Beach counting room showed the Supreme Court spokesman releasing the decision, but the audio was turned off. Workers continued to hand count the ballots. Broward County finished recounting in the last of its 609 precincts just before the ruling was handed down, but had set aside hundreds of ballots for review after the court ruling. “An accurate vote count is one of the es sential foundations of our democracy/' — Justices of the Florida Supreme Court The state’s biggest county, Miami-Dade, got a late start and officials had said they would not be done until early December. It was unclear whether the ruling set stan dards for country election officials to deter mine the validity of ballots — a key issue as Gore scrambles for each and every vote. Democrats welcomed the decision but privately worried that Republicans would slow down the recount process to make it difficult for Gore to overtake Bush before the deadline. “We view tonight’s ruling in the Florida Supreme Court as a victory for the people,” said Gore spokesman Chris Lehane. “The hand counts will go forward and the will of the people will be reflected accurately and completely.” Former Secretary of State James A. Bak er III was expected to respond for Bush, who was in Texas when the ruling was handed down. Gore was at his residence in Wash ington and planned a statement. Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a Re publican and Bush ally, who had refused to accept the hand counts, was not available for comment. Gore had picked up 266 votes in re counts by late Tuesday, which, if approved by the courts and added to official state to tals, would shave Bush’s lead to 664 votes out of 6 million cast. ltv day,'':! ■ and malt s l‘ springet:! life's mist:! I lie's a ut . isedonAL dopponer | let. 7.1k' nal Elephant Walk It givesoi: respect it iset mdk T of loSSf' led 2.95:. nt forpoU niter-rant; gth-of-sef s. The St ■ 13, Saw 5.55poiit 13 for com: for stteap .isses. points--1 for for sirens' osses ge and fe - jowl,the HI p in the'-: natchupk I).mean . 'lace wif' na and e Rose ; d movelnsj e. Miami ■ ,kies, 34-- 1 ! :ated two." a i | jting a pM ams are M 3CS gani'j Fiesta bo"l aining P Top left: Aggies pose next to an elephant Tuesday after noon. Juniors were able to take pictures with the elephant before Elephant Walk, and seniors had their turn afterward. ANDY HANCOCK/The Battalion Top right: Students participate in games and E-Walk festivi ties. Bottom: Aggies walk side by side and reflect on their years at A&M. UT yell practice, without Bonfire, has low turnout By Stephen Metcalf The Battalion For the second consecutive year, Texas A&M held yell practice before its annual grudge match against the Univer sity of Texas without a Bonfire. At Tues day’s yell practice, it was evident that more than just the heat of the blaze was missed in the chilly November night. In contrast to past yell practices that were held at Bonfire — some drew crowds of 70,000 people — this year’s yell practice attracted a smaller crowd that filled only the first deck and part of the second deck of Kyle Field. George Jacobus, a junior agricultur al business major, said the absence of Bonfire changed the event. “It was a little empty because there was no Bonfire, but I thought the people that were there more than held their own,” Jacobus said. “It was a little different, but we had a loud crowd and it was good.” Christine Walzak, a senior finance and marketing major, said the overall aura surrounding the game seems to have changed as well. “This year it doesn’t have the same spirit as it has in years past because in years past, the UT game is this huge hol iday — it’s tied into Thanksgiving,” Walzak said. “It’s tied into Bonfire, and this year that wasn’t the case. I’m excit ed about the game, but it’s not all tied to gether anymore.” Although the scale and location of this year’s yell were uncharacteristic, the rest of the event was familiar. Senior yell leader Ricky Wood leads the student body at yell practice Tuesday night. Yell practice began with Squadron 17’s departure for its run to Austin with the game ball, and the crowd sang with the traditional sounds of the Aggie Band. A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen attended, along with the football team and coach R.C. Slocum. As Slocum addressed the fans, he thanked them for their support through out the year and stressed how important they were to the team. See Yell on Page 2. International students make alternate holiday plans berths as J Florida -Mby Mariano Castillo East), P'k The Battalion igton (Pav As thousands of Texas A&M students head qiialih^ [ lome f or Thanksgiving holiday, interna- Big I - 1 { tional students will try to fill the long weekend. tate)ank MokDukWon, or Bob as he prefers to be title gafltt called, said he plans to spend Thanksgiving conSlde L sightseeing in New Orleans with friends. are , «j, ve ^at New Orleans is a famous ' State pj ace f or j azz? ” h e said “Tv e heard it’s a good •0- place, so my friends are driving there.” Mok, an exchange student from Seoul, 1 South Korea, and his friends plan to drive to New Orleans, making tourist stops along the way. He said he is looking forward to seeing the sights. This is his first time to travel to a state other than Texas. “I’ve been to Houston, Austin and San An tonio, but I want to see another state,” he said. Mok is spending only one semester at A&M before returning to South Korea and said he wants to see as much of the United States as he possibly can during his stay. For international students who spend four years at A&M, Thanksgiving break is a time to catch up on classes and other errands. “As of now, I don’t have any set plans,” said Armando Cano, a senior animal science major from Panama. “I have several things to take care of [in Bryan-College Station].” Cano was able to go to Panama last Thanksgiving, and he said it will be different this year. “It’s very hard to spend Thanksgiving knowing that you can’t be with your family,” he said. For students like Cano, however, being a traveler opens up more options for the break. While most students go home and spend time with their family, international students have more freedom of choice. “I might go to Mexico to rumbiar, or par ty,” Cano said. “Friends [from Texas] have also invited me to eat dinner with their fami ly and spend Thanksgiving with them.” Students often open their homes to inter national friends during this time of year. Melvin Williams, a senior agricultural devel opment major, said he invited an internation al student living in his dorm to eat Thanks giving with his family. “I wanted to make sure he had a good place to go for the break,” he said. “We’ve all be come pretty good friends in the dorm.” \ Time to travel A record 38.9 million Americans are are expected to travel more than 100 miles from home for Thanksgiving this | year, according to a AAA survey. The greatest number of auto travelers - 9.3 million out of 31.6 million - will probably | originate in the Southeast. Thanksgiving travelers 40 milljon 38 36 38.9 million projected Airline labor disputes ensue, travelers consider other means 34 32 (AP) — The first wave of holiday travelers packed highways and jammed airport terminals Tuesday as one of the busiest travel periods of the year began with labor disputes threatening to snarl air travel. United and Northwest airlines again blamed their mechanics for flight delays Monday and Tuesday. The workers are seeking new labor con tracts, but no strike is anticipated before next year at the earliest. Delta Air Lines also expects slowdowns and cancellations through Thanksgiving week because pilots seeking a new contract have stopped re questing voluntary overtime. Paul Hudson, executive director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project, said the airlines should have reduced their schedules or added temporary help to avoid inconveniencing passengers. “But that hasn’t been the practice at many air lines,” he said. “They attempt to hide the problem or blame the unions.” Not that everyone is traveling by air: The Amer ican Automobile Association predicted that a record 39 million Americans would travel more than 100 miles from home this week, with four out of five going by car. The average price of gasoline across the nation is $ 1.57 per gallon — about a quarter more than a year ago. Amtrak officials said they expected 580,000 rid ers this week, up from 420,000 during an average See Thanksgiving on Page 2. late vote, damages SAN AN IONIC) t AP) Alto) nevs it pit i iiliiii' m-vithI hundred tu live ditlx (mill iiv hoops who iiumh ee . dulls Ii led to vole ih the Itu iidenhnl election plnu lo lile n i .mi ith lh< l 1 S Supreme ( otiil request mg I,ih soling privileges lor the iroops or esemphon horn I'ederal m tome laves during Ihe next lout seats IP', ahnosi an h t til)I. m Im i training al Ion Pee. Va Ihe all claim iliey sveie denied die rigid lo sole in tin Nov ' route d I lies it qiie deil mail m ballots oi tried lo s oh in pei ,on but vveti di nied at lot ill s s allt ge I >eli Ufa Sei reiary V\ illiam ( o hen and lilt. US. Postal Sri \ ire will be among die primal v deh iidant in the diil, Htlornrs Philip I lone said in (Ih :,eii Xntiihio I sfprt